Momon and Nabe (Prototypes)
by Wachichas
Summary: My try at writing again. AU. A couple of stories regarding the Dark Hero and the Beautiful Princess, of their origins, hardships, feats, and most of all: their meeting.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! This is Wachichas, you may know me as the guy who abandoned Overlord + Hero, also the one who wrote a crossover of sorts between Overlord and Django Unchained called "Nabe Unchained" only to delete it after two chapters.**

**Yeah, that's me, very lame, isn't it?**

**Alright, I'll explain: I had no idea what to do with my fics, so I had to "_save you_" from the hellish wait announcing the hiatus (this with O+H, but I failed to realize that people would still wait for an update anyway) and deleting the other one (NU), and then I set out to practice my writing skills and my ability to create plots. I didn't gain anything, sadly.**

**So does this mean I'll come back to O+H? I don't know.**

**Well, enough of me, please enjoy this first (sort of) chapter and tell me what you think about this concept.**

**These chapters won't follow any time-line, some could be way back in the past (before Nazarick) or even after the Sorcerer Kingdom's founding.**

**I may have written some lines from another works, but this kind of shit won't be common, I swear, I'm trying to find some inspiration.**

**Overlord isn't owned by my lowly self.**

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**Chapter 1. Melancholy across the road. (Nabe's sisters)**

**(While this chapter isn't specifically canon, let's just say that Nabe and Momon were on their second day as [reluctant] teammates, and they have an unexpected companion! And please don't hate me for some details regarding one dear village and one very loved village girl.)**

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Travelling along the country with neither a horse or carriage was stupid, boring, and incredibly tedious, and taxing, but at the very least, to ease her torment and her feet-ache, Nabe had something to occupy her attention.

Though she wasn't sure if she liked it, yet.

"How'd you comb it? Did you do it alone?

Nestled on Nabe's chest, cradled by both her arms, with one of her little hands fisted on the front of her red cloak, the little child, Nemu was her name, runs her _dirty _fingers through one of her bangs - _making her cringe, but she didn't had the heart to tell her to stop_ \- marvelling at the silky feeling of the raven-black hair, like she would find the answer to her question in its surface.

Nabe subtly rolls her eyes a little when the girl couldn't find a reasonable answer, but she says, as patiently as she's able, "Yes, I did it alone, it isn't that hard."

She hears an awed sound, and when she steals a glance at the little girl, her eyes are wide in wonder and her face just screams 'marvelled' like it was something commendable, and she snorted in disbelief, but didn't say otherwise.

She did wonder, now that she thought about it, how in the blazing pits of Hell did Regina keep her hair clean and neat everytime she went out and played with the domestic wolves, even though that would be irrelevant. Just _knowing _that her sister couldn't answer that question anymore was bad enough.

It would be an even worse situation, having to see her lost sister everytime she stared at any dirty crown of hair, regardless of quantity, shape or color. Granted, she wasn't even a social person in the first place, and she spends most of the time outside of the big cities or in little, god-forsaken villages.

_But stil... it's - it's probable_, Nabe thinks sadly. As uncomfortable as she is with people, looking at anyone will be without a doubt a very difficult endeavor, because she will see them, _all of them_, and then she'll realize that there's nothing of her sisters left in the swarm of lowly peasants.

The basic shape will remind her, maybe, and she still carries her family's legacy, but... she is alone. And giving her attitude towards people and her undesirable personality... no one will ever remember who they were.

Like Nemu's village, destroyed and razed to the ground by Imperial Knights, absolutely no one will give a whore's left breast of who her sisters were, of what they did, and Nabe felt a nearly unstoppable rush of resentment in her chest at the thought.

The Black Knight is walking behind them, watchful for any threats, but Nabe isn't stupid; she knows he stills steals a look out of the corner of his eye, dark helmet still concealing his face but body language tense and tired.

The fact that he's still walking behind them with no complains whatsoever is a damn miracle, though; the wounds he took when he _dared _to stand between the Angels and her were critical, and even if it was foolish, Nabe couldn't help but scold the man harshly after the battle; after they retaliated the surprised members of the so-called Sunlight Scripture.

And then he stood like if having three broken ribs and Gods-know-how-many cuts was nothing to worry about, and then searched between the rubbles of the burned village, ignoring her warnings and the dangers of death by blood-loss all the while.

Nabe scrunched her face angrily. The nerve of the man! At least when he found the little girl, buried beneath the corpses of her older sister and parents, he had the tact to be respectful to the child and let Nabe, as the more approachable-looking of the two, to take care of her. That might be one of his reedming traits.

When Nemu rose up from unconciousness and then bawled her eyes out in distress and despair, the strange man just _walked _away like a coward. Like if he was unable to soothe a little girl with only a few words.

...alright, maybe that was very hypocritical of her; she just told the girl to move on and grow strong from the experience. And while Nabe didn't exactly regret her choice of words, she would have been more... gentle with her methods, if she had the ability to change that.

Nabe scoffed under her breath, whether to the Knight or to herself she didn't know, and ignored the man as best she could, although she's uncomfortably aware that if any danger was to reveal itself to the three, she couldn't just throw Nemu to the ground and act accordingly. So, effectively, she was in the man's care, as much as she loathed to admit it.

So she opted to focus on the little bundle of renewed optimism and hardened sadness, and she was surprised by the next thing that came out from the girl's mouth:

"Are you two a couple, Miss Nabe?"

What in the _bloody_ Hell? Nabe eyes the girl on her arms as if she just blurted out blasphemy, but in the face of her fragile enthusiasm she can't just answer as she would very much like to. With a sigh, she rolls her eyes, again, and says flatly, "No."

Nemu's expression crumples a little, and with a tremendous surge of terror at the thought of more tears and the Dark Knight's response, Nabe blurts out, "But I have sisters."

_Oh for Gods' sake_, She thought, remembering the blonde-haired girl that lied atop her lithe body. She was the worst at this. _Yuri would be so dissapointed._

But when Nemu's expression brightens like day and night - a fact that planted a frail sense of hope in her chest as she says, "You do? Oh! How many?"

Nabe hesitates, considering, and still with some doubts on her mind. Was this the right choice to do? Because this little girl, who may not be older than ten, has just lost her whole little world, and Nabe didn't want to bring back some very painful memories.

She had some experiences with that, and she wouldn't wish it on anybody but her enemies, least to this small child.

But when she noticed that Nemu was still waiting for her answer... Nabe decided to roll with it, but was cautious with her words; something that she didn't try in a long, long time.

Still, it's probably best to not say too much - she has a damn tendency to go on a rant about her family's lineage and honor, and while she didn't receive any complains -_ because anyone who did so was slaughtered on the spot_ \- she knew it would be very inconsiderate towards Nemu.

She surprised herself, being so thoughtful of some little girl that she didn't know of until now.

"I have six sisters." She replied without any hesitation, because as far as she knew, race didn't matter for her family; only one's perfomance in their respective fields was recognized. Aureole was really the one she knew was adopted, but Nabe didn't care about it at that time, and she surely won't right now.

"Six?" Nemu sounds awed, again.

For some reason, Nabe likes the attention.

Nabe gives her a quick, rare smile, and her voice goes through an interesting shift, going from neutral to akin to proud, as if she were retelling the majestic history of a royal family. The small patches of forests have been ceasing as they moved towards E-Rantel, giving to vast, grassy plains dotted with wildflowers and the richest of winds, and she breathed in deeply.

"Indeed, I'm the second-born." A very known fact, but one that Sollu always tried to disprove, no doubt to rile her up, but Nabe always told her to go and mind her own business. "They're all very strong and admirable, but we always had time for each other. Shizu likes to hug fluffy animals, and Entoma's always collecting bugs." Well, Lord Genjiro did, but Nabe knows the shy girl; Entoma is just as fond of them as her master.

Besides, it wasn't as if it was a bad hobby; on the contrary, listening to her cheerfully describing a caterpillar's transformation to a butterfly was very endearing, and it's not as if Nemu is ever going to meet them...

Nemu giggles, unaware of Nabe's silence, finally abandoning her hair to reach up and point at pretty flowers. "I bet you live in a biiiig house," she says, stretching her arms out wide, careful to not smack Nabe in the face. "You'd need six bedrooms, and a big kitchen, and a big table, and..." She trails off, face scrunching a little as she obviously tries to think of everything.

Nabe can't fight a faint, mostly sad smile, though she turned her head sideways so that Nemu couldn't see it. The last she saw all of her sisters in one place, they were preparing to celebrate the Lords' return to home. After that, by the time they realized they weren't going to see them again...

Regina and Sollu were the first ones to try to leave, distressed and feeling betrayed. Nabe didn't tolerate their choice, and with Yuri's help, they were forced to lock them both until Master Sebas could come with a satisfying conclusion.

Shizu was hiding in her room, playing with many of her dolls until she became one herself; lifeless, almost unresponsive.

The only ones Nabe ever saw after the failed ceremony were Yuri and Entoma, mostly because the latter always followed the former and herself in taking care of the house with Sebas, but...

They were gone. _All_ of them were gone.

"Do they live in E-Rantel, too?" Nemu asks, craning her neck in a very painful way to peer at her face, and Nabe tries to wipe away all the melancholy that's gathered.

"No," she manages after an instant of a struggle. "They live far, far away. I don't think I'm going to be able to see them again for a while."

Nabe feels the Dark Knight staring at her neck, and she ignores him ruthlessly. She doesn't want to remember anymore, she cursed herself for her stupidity and her loud mouth. She didn't care about what she might be revealing, or what assumptions the Dark Knight might be making. It's none of his damn business.

Besides, if she thinks too much about it, the lump in her throat - _stupid, _stupid_, because it's not like she wasn't aware that everything was not going to go back to normal the day the Lords didn't come back, she wasn't that naive, she was completely aware of that -_ that lump will choke off her breath, and that's definitely an humiliating way to die.

There's a pause, and then, carefully, small arms wrap around her shoulders as Nemu hugs the only part of her that's within easy reach as best as she can. "I'm sorry, Miss Nabe," she says, and she sounds _sad_. For _her_. Even though she was the one whose village was completely destroyed and whose family's stabbed, charred corpses were on top of her for who knows how long. "I'm sure they miss you lots and lots. You're a really good big sister."

_I'm not._ She tells herself._ I wouldn't even count myself a good friend_, but she cannot say that. "Thanks, child," she murmurs, and glanced down at her, and said carefully. "I'm sure your family is very proud of you."

Nemu smiles tearfully at that, remaining strong, and wipes her eyes clean and starts chattering about dolls and star-gazing and all the things she did with her sister, and feeling for the first time sympathetic with someone else, Nabe listens to her all the way back, making interested noises as she too responds with some stories of her own.

The Dark Knight, she notices distantly, has never said anything, as if he wasn't bothered to listen to them, but Nabe doesn't think of it, not even for a second.

She discards his presence, and instead focus on the small, soft feeling that grows inside her chest, and she smiles tentatively to Nemu.

(Maybe she wasn't that bad with people, maybe she could actually carry on with the House's legacy, but Nabe doesn't come to conclusions that early.)

Momon has been wandering around the world for two decades already. Chasing shadows in a seemingly endless pursuit for revenge. He has slaughtered plenty of monsters and met even more horrible people. There have been traitors and heroes and normal people struggling under the weight of their burdens and the world itself, but he had never bothered to read them all past their apperance.

He wasn't interested, he wasn't willing to go and meet people to then lost them all over again. He was too tired and too damn weak for that.

It just not exhaustion nor apathy that drive him to make that kind of decisions. He needs to be alone, because no one is strong enough to stick with him for far too long. People can't understand what kind of things he has been through, and would be horrified if they just hear the surface of it.

Because, contrary to popular belief, he wasn't born a hero, nor destined to be a hero. He doesn't even want to be one himself. His past haunts him too much to be the kind of man people look up to. Why the hell would anyone admire a man whose life has been revolving around senseless killing?

Maybe some people could, maybe won't. He wasn't curious to find out.

Still, here he was, following this girl around, who he saw frying a whole group of Knights by herself, and then uplift a little girl's spirits with her parents' ashes and blood all over her small frame.

Momon was unaffected by the carnage itself, but that particular scene was... moving, no, interesting, to say the least.

Though perhaps it wasn't. After all, the village was still destroyed, and they had a girl with mind-breaking trauma on their hands, and Momon, while not calling this a defeat because they managed to kill the ones responsible for it, was not foolish enough to discard the casualties and call this a victory.

Because at the end of the day... there was just blood, corpses, fire, and a little girl whose whole home was destroyed. And he, as always, couldn't do nothing about it.

He was so fucking _weak_ he hated it.

Still, what was done is done, the girl is alive, they were alive, and it was alright to go back to the city, acting as decent human beings (at least on the caster's part) instead of mindless weapons.

Momon doesn't kill people for nothing, and he immediately knows that the caster was a warrior of some kind in the past, or at least, recently.

There's a chant, a high-pitched cheer, and it takes effort for Momon not to unsheath both his swords. The girl casts him a glance, but he doesn't comment on her foolish use of her magic. In fact, she chants the spell again, and little sparks erupt of her finger and crackle with small pops and says, "Again, Nemu?"

"Yep!" the girl laughs. "Do it again, Miss Nabe!"

Technically, she shouldn't be doing that. Momon would have discarded common courtesy and would have scolded her the moment she started casting those measly spells, or at the very least told her to stop. She should have put the girl to sleep, then taken her and headed to E-Rantel as fast they could, because this is a quest. There's no allowance for delays, especially when they take the form of loud children coming out of razen villages and attacks from another nation.

...Momon can't even believe that bullshit. He wasn't an asshole. And certainly he knew the magic caster wouldn't have his own bullshit.

Especially-

That first glimpse of that group of angels at the edge of the village, shining figures and robed magic casters and then clear rage... it didn't seem like the reaction of a normal caster. Add to the fact that she clearly didn't have any sense of self-preservation (as if he was one to talk), but instead lunged towards the forces of that Nigun fellow, and then her admittedly impressive control over 3rd tier spell without much as a faint strain, and it makes for a confusing picture.

Momon hasn't forgotten Buku Gama Cha. Hasn't forgotten the Nine's Own Dream, and Hulbert's reckless tendencies in the battlefield. And if she wasn't some sort of battlemage, Momon will swallow his left greatsword.

After all, not only did she cast these spells without any delays, but she had spectacular swordmanship. A pretty thing; double-edged and with a clean, yet modest brown sheath, but even so. Momon saw it cleave straight through armor and flesh and bone, and he's not about to underestimate that sword nor her skill.

Even though that Nabe girl isn't carrying as much weapons as him, she has the mana reserves and strength to compensate.

The little girl is talking again, but Momon doesn't bother to listen; after all, that's one of the reasons he tasked Nabe to take care of her. Let the raven-black haired deal with the child.

Even if she doesn't perform well as a caretaker, Momon is confident the girl will endure the way back to the city, for everybody's sake.

Besides, listening to her composed voice chattering with the rowdy girl reminds Momon of Yomaika, and the fact that it's been years since he had any meaning conversation with children to make even a short attempt to do it again. He isn't bothered by it; not that much anymore, but... he misses being someone's 'moving fortress'.

"Are you a Knight like Sir Black?" the girl asks, loudly enough to catch his attention, and he gives the girl a tilt of his head to show her that he's listening. And as he expected, the small one stares at the ground.

Nemu (he did hear the girl's name) had migrated to Nabe's chest again, looking very pleased and very curious, and Momon is honestly glad for her, despite the chance she may not overcome her trauma for a long time and might be too clingy to Nabe.

Said woman had her eyes foward, apparently pretending that she hasn't got a four-year-old clinging to her like she's her new big sister, Momon thinks morbidly, and hides a wistful chuckle, though judging by the faintly sour-curious glance Nabe sends him he didn't hide it well enough.

"Absolutely not." Nabe answers, and reaches inside her cloak to then show a small piece of copper. "Here, we are adventurers, and this is how someone can tell. That's how you can see if someone's a knight or a very wealthy adventurer, child."

Not in good terms with Knighthood, then. It's strange, because given her uppity attitude and her complex way of speaking, Nabe would have been pegged as a Princess anywhere she wished to go. Although some people's imaginations are truly out of this world, it wasn't far-fetched to think that she may have some relations with royalty, and there's a certain level of prestige to that.

Yet more scraps of uncertainty to join all the others, and Momon frowns, casting another glance at his enigmatic companion.

He remembers Nabe's reaction when the girl cried and admitted to being scared, remembers the grief that showed for half a heartbeat before she shoved it away. Grief like that - Momon understands it all too well. Desolation, sorrow, aimless fury -_ my world ended_, that expressions says._ I understand how you feel. My world is gone and I'm the only one left._

Though maybe that's him projecting.

"Oh! I know!" the girl chirps, drawing an exaggerated square in the air. "They are some people who came to the village with some silver badges."

Nabe blinks at her, brows furrowing thoughtfully, and then glances back at Momon questioningly. Momon shrugs his shoulders; if those people came during the attack, then maybe they all died with the villagers. If not, then he didn't care.

Mouth tightening contemplatively, Nabe drops her eyes back to her passenger and manages a slight smile. Momon wonders if the girl can see how awkward it is, if that's the reason she's asking distracting questions and rambling. It wouldn't be a surprise, given what happened just an hour ago. Children are brilliant at that kind of thing.

"Yeah," Nabe says at last, boosting her up a little higher until she was seated on her shoulder. (Momon estimates just how long she's been carrying her without a break and adds above-average strength to the growing list of her abilities.) "Those kind of badges mean adventurers. We were hired by a man who says to pay many visits to your village, so you can trust us. There are a lot of good people in the Guild."

That's a very broad statement for someone such as her to make. Momon lifts a curious brow, half-wishing he could just get the whole story already. He's definitely wary of this woman. Wary and interested, because not until today, now bits keep showing through, between her skills and her magic power and now this careful, caring side with the girl.

From there, the logical belief would be that she really isn't not what she seems at first glance, but Momon has went through many betrayals and been a mercenary for too long before being an adventurer to think things are that simple.

The skills alone are... jarring. Momon isn't certain that he is already recovered from seeing her slice a grown man in two with just a swing of her sword. This girl especially, he thinks, casting Nabe another sideways glance. Because, with the black hair and black eyes, Momon would immediately mistake her for a southern native - they have the same dark hair, although the lack of any accent is more rare.

It's not like there aren't any foreigners so far at the north, but...

There aren't many southern foreigners _alive _in the first place. The southern continent is now fifteen years destroyed now, and thanks to scavengers has been almost completely stripped of all traces of what it was. The ruins are mostly rubble and bones, and the continent's few remaining people are scattered.

Said continent was always a small piece of land, hardly a fraction of this New World, and the black-haired people made up the bulk of its population. When the continent fell, so did they. Maybe one hundred survived, lost in other countries, but to meet one is an exotic opportunity.

Too convenient, as well, given who Momon is and who teached him.

So. Nabe's knowledge of many magic spells of the 3rd tier, her presence here on Momon's mission, her supposed royal lineage, her specific request to join him, and her odd strength - those all say Jaldabaoth. Or Honyopenyoko, at the very least.

On the other hand, her hair, her emotional nature, and her magic reserves say stray southern adventurer. To be honest, that fits better than the Jaldabaoth theory; the damn Demon has its twisted way of stripping any living being of their morality or, in a human's case, of their own humanity, and Nabe's reaction to the girl has been nothing but sentimentality. Reluctant, but genuine.

It's... possible that Nabe is exactly who she says she is, even if it's not exactly likely - after all, she looks at least fifteen years younger than Momon, or maybe a little more. That would put her at around Peron's age, and around _eight_ when the continent fell.

Given the lack of information of the land, it's conceivable that there may have existed any kind of Guild - even an adventurer's Guild, and she would know them there. It would also fit the claim that she's not in any friendly term's with Knighthood - the primal fury that she wore on her face was clear enough - and her claim of that adventurers are good people.

Surely only an adventurer would say something like that.

And...

_They live far, far away. I don't think I'm going to be able to see them again for a while_.

Momon knows loss when he hears it, and that was clear. A whole family, seven sisters, dead or so thoroughly scattered that there's little hope of reuniting - that certainly sounds like the aftermath of the Demon King's Invasion.

Of course, this is all speculation. Momon could be wildly off the mark and leading himself further astray with every conclusion. It makes sense, though, and while it doesn't quite quell Momon's suspicion...

"You said E-Rantel was about just a half a day?" Nabe asks suddenly, making Momon glance over. Nemu is sacked out on her shoulder again, drooling a little, with one small hand fisted in red cloth. Carefully, Momon finds the image endearing.

"Indeed," he confirms after a moment, his low voice rumbling under the helmet. They've been walking the entire day, but given the child it's an easy, practically boring pace. On his own, Momon would have already arrived hours ago, broken ribs and all.

Nabe huffs a little, mutters something inintelligible, and then raises her voice to add, "How are you doing? You don't feel light-headed?"

Momon calculates the distance. If they don't take a break - which, honestly, sits better with him than leaving himself bleeding to death infront of a kid - they can make it back to E-Rantel by sunset or a little after. Inconvenient timing, but Momon doesn't think the recepcionist will be too put out by that. They would explain what happened in the village, and no doubt will be rewarded for providing such critical information, making the money one worthy of a orichalcum class easily.

Though, Momon supposes, that's more or less expected when you inform the King that the Empire is at the Kingdom's borders way before the annual war's scheduled confrontation, seemingly ready to attack, backed up by the Theocracy itself.

"I'm fine," he eases her, then stiffens as his chest burns slightly and casts Nabe a wary glance.

Apparently able to read his discomfort clearly despite the armor, Nabe blows out a short, aggrieved sigh, rolls her eyes, and says with exasperation, "I swear to everything that is sacred that someday you'll die by something foolish. You must make haste to the Water God's temple to take care of your wounds."

Momon scoffs good-naturedly, a little of the "Black Knight" composure he tries to keep finally slipping in the face of this grave offense. "Don't worry about me. You should worry about what you are going to do with the child, anyways."

"Of course," Nabe says dryly, not having his bullshit once again, but doesn't attempt to call him on it. Instead, she simply shifts Nemu a little higher on her shoulder and, as if to spite him, picks up her pace. Momon groans, unheard, but easily keeps a little way behind her.

"...You like children, then," Momon finally offers, an admitedly poor attempt to break the silence.

It earns him another soft snort, and Nabe looks away. "No," she says flatly. "But I am not heartless. This girl has lost the only emotional anchor she had in her life. It's expected for her to reach out at whoever that can be able to provide her rest."

_Kind_, Momon thinks, sadly amused, and lowers his head, staring at the ground. That's... probably a mark in the not-Jaldabaoth column, then. He remembers Tekamikuzachi's kindness was much the same way, given offhand and with much indignation when anyone called him on it, but always there nevertheless.

Maybe Nabe really is who she seems, who she says to be.

Momon thinks of Nemu; of what would be if Nabe wasn't with him: lonely orphan in a unknown city, and feels a faint tremor of something slip down his spine.

At last, E-Rantel's walls were looming at the horizon, and with it, Momon's reflections took a backseat for thoughts of potions and healing to take over his mind.

But still, as they neared the entrance and waited for the city guards to check them up, Nabe never lost her grip on the small body of Nemu, and Momon felt a sense of forebonding.

...Damn, something was really going to go down, isn't it?

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**Alright, this chapter ends here, if you liked it please don't forget a leave a review and any suggestions of what would you like to see. I'm working to develop Nabe's and Momon's personalities and backgrounds for future Darkness-centric fics and this will help me to go back to writing.**

**Hope you didn't mind the creative names for the members of Not-Nine's Own Goal.**

**PD: In this chapter, Nabe's 23 years old, and Momon is 42.**

**If you have any questions regarding both of them, I will answer them next chapter. Promise.**

**Man, I wish PervySageChuck or atheistbasementdragon or even anyone would read this.**

**See ya!**


	2. Delay

heya guys, uh... well this is awkward. I'm posting from my phone to tell you I wont be able to post in a while due to internet issues, im very sorry. this fic

isn't abandoned, i promise, i already have some chapters ready for when I'll have my internet back.

see ya!


	3. The Dreaded Time of the Month

The time of the Month (This is the chapter begins at the time when the adamantite adventurer Group "Darkness" went to their meet up with the magic caster Fluder Paradyne, while Momon is focused on following a lead on Jaldabaoth, Nabe is dealing with her own, stupid, awkward problems.)

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While not a saint, Momon would consider himself as a cool-headed sort of man. Besides from anything related to Honyopenyoko - the fact that he finally killed her was still doing wonders to his mind and concentration - and Jaldabaoth, there wasn't really any way to make him lose his patience, and he was a little proud of himself for that.

Surely, when they parted from E-Rantel atop Hamsuke's back towards the Baharuth Empire, there wouldn't be any problems along the way. If there were any bandits or monsters... well, it was their fault for trying to assault a newly-appointed Adamantite ranked adventurer, anyway.

Of course, as always, nothing went as he desired, and he had to confront a very new kind of foe, manifesting itself as one unbearable Nabe.

At first he didn't care, the woman always had some kind of reason to be sour-faced towards anyone, including himself. Call him a freak, but he relished on her unpleasant attitude, as it brought him some very needed moments of respite between all the self-loathing and brooding, having to deal first with all her... interesting person. (He didn't say bitchiness because he was very sure she would read his mind and kick him off Hamsuke's back, easily.)

Ever since she joined him, she would be some sort of bizarre combination between an arrogant brat, a serious warrior, and then the last but not less strange, a very protective mother hen with Nemu.

Just thinking about the small girl made Momon smile, the child was actually doing better than he expected. Now that she's under the care of their employer, Nfirea Bareare, she was now living a new life as his assistant in his family business alongside his grandmother.  
Of course, the horrors of the attack on her village were not going to fade soon, but she made progress, very impressive progress.

With that train of thought, Momon's mood lifted up substantially.  
Nabe would calm down from whatever thing that distressed her in the first place, and things would go smoothly afterwards.

That was two hours ago.

And now,

_This_, he thought despairingly, looking up at the heavens for salvation. _This is ridiculous._

By the time the Wise King of the Forest arrived to one of the gates of the Imperial Capital, Momon was one hundred percent convinced that all the lifes that he had taken since he wielded a sword from his childhood were now having their sweet, sweet revenge on him.

Maybe including the Demons, Monsters and any kind of non-human creature he had slain too.  
And probably all the Undead he killed... and perhaps all the collateral damages he may have inflicted in the past and the scarred souls he left in his trail for revenge.

Maybe, perhaps, it could be... that this was just one step in Jaldabaoth's grand plan to make him lose his mind.

Because anything less would not leave Momon subjected to fucking **this**.

"Filthy worm."  
"Inferior being."  
"How dare you stand in our path?"  
"Foolish whore."  
"This seat is uncomfortable."  
"How much long until we arrive?"  
"Make this creature go faster."

It was two hours, just _two hours_, since she began with her seemingly endless complaints or rude remarks on any innocent peasant or wandering guard and he started to lose his patience. No one was safe from her; even the children would suffer some very crude statements from her cranky self.

"The peasants in this city are so noisy, makes me want to crush them." Nabe grumbled under her breath. And just one second later, she scoffed loudly. "I refuse to believe the extent of the idiocy these people seem to have."

During her new rant, Hamsuke made a sound like she's contemplating suicide. (Momon knew the feeling.) "Oh, Master mine. Far away our destination still is?" Her squeaky voice was weathered by being subjected to the many kicks Nabe inflicted on her fluffy sides, and Momon took pity on her, patting the giant creature between the ears.

"Not anymore; it's the building that is right in front of us." Momon says, and then realized that indeed, they have finally arrived to their destination.

He didn't take a second to get off Hamsuke's back and get the stable-boy to guide the powerful beast to the Academy's stables, and Nabe, still frowning and almost livid, followed him around, and maybe two or three people almost got their souls crushed by her scalding words.

Close behind him, the woman still did not calm down, even as they made their way through the city guards after Momon revealed the reason of their meeting with the Tri-Magic Caster, and were now walking through the Academy's corridors, guided by a servant, who was recounting the Empire's Magic Research history as they went past many paintings representing the Bloody Emperor.

And of course, Nabe was grumbling under her breath, and Momon will not. Endure. This. Fucking. Bullshit. Anymore.

"Excuse me for a second," He even struggled to address the servant in a respectful tone, and when they turned around and looked at him curiously, he was very glad his helmet covered the way he was talking through gritted teeth. "I must have a word with my partner here, it won't be long."

When the servant made a sound of agreement, Momon turned around while looking as an avatar of death and blood and rage, and took a deep breath, and then let it out, slowly.

Nabe didn't seem to catch the unspoken warning, and then said, "I don't quite understand why we should stop here. Isn't your purpose arriving to this city to gather information on the Demon King? I-"

"Are going to shut up now, because Hamsuke and I have listened to your bitching for the entire morning," Momon interrupted her harshly, desperate.

And before that it was him listening to her complaining of the Golden Pavilion's "inadequate" lightning as they prepared to set off to the Empire. For the record, Momon's taste in selecting places for resting was questioned _thirty_ times, and he felt a little hurt. Because having an opinion is one thing; this is another thing entirely.

At least they had two separate beds and very good service, and were not sleeping under a damn tree in the middle of nowhere with almost no food left. And the woman had the guts to ignore that fact, the damn beast.

Whoever he killed in his past and even in his past lives to deserve this, Momon is truly, _deeply_ sorry.

"What?" Nabe asked with utmost confusion, but was also very offended. She truly looked a little wild around the eyes herself, and Momon was now confused himself.

"Nabe, for Gods' sake, you can't act this way for far too long, someone is going to get fed up of your ranting and will throw us out from this place," Momon said imploringly, even holding his hands in front of him as if he were restraining himself from clutching his head. It was bad enough that this nation wasn't all that welcoming to adventurers; he didn't want to have a bounty on his head for offending the Emperor himself.

Nabe made a noise that sounded distinctly annoyed, but she lowered her head silently, and Momon sighed tiredly, feeling a little regretful, and then asked. "Do you want to go somewhere else? You don't have to follow me if you want, I can have this meeting with Paradyne by myself."

The female caster looked like she was weighing the options. If they separated, that may be a bad thing, given Nabe's attitude even with him around, but maybe she just needed some time for herself after all the fiasco with the White Countess, and Momon wouldn't blame her if that's the case.

On the other hand, sticking together may give them some modicum of power when the time came to meet the legendary mage, and perhaps Nabe's mood would get better if she confided with another enthusiast of her field, but also made the prospect of pissing off the man a hell of a lot more possible.

"I..." She bit her lip, looking doubtful, but then gathered courage and said, "I want to think about some things. Can we meet after you have finished your meeting at the Palace's entrance?"

_Assuming she would even still be there and not wander off to some place, not that she couldn't take care of herself,_ Momon thought a touch amused.

It would probably take just one hour, two at the most; one such as him wasn't fit to talk about intricate things like magic, not when the reason of his presence was about a Demon King, whose information was already sparse enough to begin with, so Momon supposed he wouldn't take long.

After all, time was not a virtue he possessed; they had to go back to E-Rantel before sunset if they didn't want to pay an inn just for one night.

Nabe was very smart, if she actually decided to take a look around the city, she would tell anyone for Momon's acknowledgement, she would even tell Hamsuke where she's going at and the beast would be loyal enough to comply her orders.

And besides, if she happened to be still there, whoever tried to make chitchat with her could at least amuse her long enough for him to go back and evade any kind of casualties, so the risk wasn't as great as it could be.

"Alright," Momon agreed, "If you'll go outside the Academy don't go too far. Ask any servant for any places of interest that are nearby and tell them where are you going for me to know, understood?"

A nod, and then she was a blur of red as she skipped through the corridors in the most dignified way possible, and with a relieved chuckle, Momon turned around and walked with the servant again. It was almost midday, and there's always a chance that they may not be able to go right back to E-Rantel.

If Nabe could find any kind of inn to rest, then that would be very useful.

Why was Nabe so angry in the first place? She's trying to get everyone on their bad graces everywhere she goes, and many possible connections are destroyed even before he could begin any kind of conversation, and she's getting gradually worse as the day keeps on. Maybe letting her go will make her see the wrong of her ways.

Maybe the rest of the day could be peaceful once they regroup without any kind of brawl starting in the damn street, or even forming an excuse for another war.

Momon didn't want to be responsible, even in the slightest, for another gods-damn war. That's not a legacy he wanted to attach to his name.

His friends' memories deserved better.

The walls are a rich brown and the carpet is of an intense red, a very normal sight more than anything for sovereigns, nobles or ambassadors.

Shaking off his foolish thoughts, Momon followed the servant until they were lined with a pair of huge doors, carved with intricate details and made of the wood of the highest quality. The servant knocked their knuckles against the doors' surface, waited for the response at the other side, and opened the door for Momon to see -

There was a flash of white hair, the sound of silky, long robes dragging all over the floor, and Momon stood straight at the face of such power, hardly keeping his eyes off the man.

"Ah, Momon of Darkness! Please come in, take a seat," the old man said, the friendliness in his voice belying the sheer intelligence in his eyes. Momon stared back silently, but complied with the man's offer.

"Fluder Paradyne, it is an honor," The Dark Knight said courteously, bowing slightly to the man, who then nodded respectfully, but ultimately waved off the statement with a slight movement of his fingers, not out of disrespect, but very obvious eagerness.

"The feeling is mutual, but I don't think you've came from so far away just to exchange pleasantries with me," the caster said, and Momon nodded, grateful, and walked towards one of the chairs and sat down on it, making it creak under his weight. "I didn't expect to receive such a message, but truly -" the old man stopped short, looking around for the presence of one particular woman, and then asked, "It seems that your partner is not here, is there a problem?"

Damn. There isn't any chance to pull a lie. Linking his fingers together, Momon leaned forward in his seat slightly and then said, honest, "I may have your pardon, but my partner is currently undisposed, she is not on the best of conditions right now," he looked up at the man, whose face was carefully blank, "I hope you don't take any offense."

Though Momon could see the man was disappointed, he felt relieved as he looked understanding and took a seat himself, stroking his long, long beard thoughtfully. Momon looked at the staff he wielded, and then right back at the whitish beard.

The old man's presence is unfamiliar, but intense, a massive pillar of energy that seemed to exude power from every pore of his body.

"It is a shame," Fluder said, but his disappointment was short-lived. "It would have been a pleasure to meet the famous Beautiful Princess herself."

_That would have_, Momon thought knowingly. He knew that Nabe's beauty was something way out of this world, but he's very sure a man like Fluder Paradyne wouldn't even blink at her facial features, but instead to her magical prowess. "Trust me that she would have the same sentiment, but sadly, her current conditions are not... very pleasant."

Arching a brow to his last sentence, the white-haired man stroked his beard again, and then gave him a meaningful stare. "Forgive my intrusion, but may I ask what kind of conditions she has?"

Momon hesitated, but replied truthfully, "I don't know myself, but I'm sure she wasn't herself since the morning; I suspect that it must be a physical condition of using too much magic." After killing a Vampire of god-like abilities and power, it wouldn't be unexpected, but that went unspoken.

"Hm, a pity," Fluder said, but then discards the topic and finally goes right to the point. "You're searching any hints or information on the Demon King, Jaldabaoth, aren't you?"

"That one indeed," Momon said, a bit of darkness seeping into his tone, and he could feel the hate rolling up his throat at the thought of even talking about that monster. The demon's not very well-known, especially in this region, and being so unaware of such a threat would no doubt make a dent in the demon's reputation, as his infamy certainly preceded him.

For this man being one of the few who acknowledged the danger, this continent was either filled with stupid, unaware, or unconcerned people. Stupid and overconfident people don't live long, and Momon could certainly back up that fact, remembering Igvarge of Kralgra, so the second option might be the most likely, but Momon couldn't do nothing about it.

Not many people could do anything against a being of such power, and for this man to be spouting that name so carelessly was far from comforting, especially given that Momon didn't actually know very much of him.

"Hm," the old man said, his voice low. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Everything you may know," Momon admits, giving the caster a pointed look that made the old man frown thoughtfully and stare at the ground, considering. "Weaknesses, strengths, subordinates, any locations he may appear, his objectives, even his past. Do you have any information?"

There's only one thing that's especially important while knowing about a demon, and it's their original name. With that, Momon could easily track the ones who were responsible of the Demon's summoning or even the Demon itself. There was no tip-toeing around the matter at hand now, and Fluder certainly understood that, given in the older man's expression as too-knowing eyes narrowed sharply.

"Indeed, you may have to get comfortable, this will take long," the man's voice lost any kind of false enthusiasm, and Momon nodded, eager, and both of them began to delve deep in the obscurity that surrounded the most dangerous demon to ever exist in the world.

"Have you got any valuable information?" Nabe asked with a strained voice from her place in one of the beds, thrown all over the mattress and with an arm covering her eyes.

There were currently inside of the middle-class inns of the city; the one most cheap without being a run-down shack with huge cockroaches and with no spot for Hamsuke to rest. Through a square-shaped window they could see the city below, or the cobblestone roads or the sky above.

Which none were the reasons for Nabe's decision to rent a room for the day, who tried to ignore the pain in her lower abdomen.

The cramps were really bad this time around, causing her to throw up, thrice. Luckily, Momon told her to go on her own, and the first thing she did was to find a room to shut herself in for the rest of the night and probably to avoid the shame of being exposed to him like this.

Something that was happening too many times for her comfort in other different situations apart from this one, and now it was happening all over again.

Normally, this anatomical process annoyed her, with so many quests and so many people showing up in so many different places in the same day and at different times it seemed you would want yourself at your best, but now, Nabe just didn't care about responsibility or dignity, as much it was embarrassing to her.

"Enough to be satisfying," Momon replied, quietly, sitting on one of the chairs of the room, watching her with his face exposed, whose eyebrows, thick and dark, were creased in worry and concern. "Although I do admit it was refreshing to know someone is aware of the danger."

She exhaled loudly, irritated by nothing, "Of course. Why I am not surprised." Her voice carried on lazily, and her breathing was erratic by the pain down her navel.

"You're not well." Momon observed, ignoring the subtle jab, already noticing her sweaty and very pale pallor. Nabe clenched her eyes shut, and the warmth in her cheeks was certainly not because of the lack of space in the room.

"You don't say." She said, sarcastically, and then winced as another wave of cramps rolled through her, making her grit her teeth and exhale a lot more louder. At the side, Momon was proceeding to take off his armor and his swords, and he's methodical; he carefully placed both great swords against the place in the wall that was closer to his bed, and his armor was stripped off to reveal a scarred, muscular body.

"Now I understand why you seem so relieved going out the building." He mused, and he sounded sympathetic. Him of all people, sounding like he was relieved she took care of herself. Him being concerned for her, him - her foolish woman's heart, always stronger when she was like this, practically swooned.

Nabe groaned in mortification, and the sound was mistaken for another pained complaint.

"Yes. Thank you for noticing my discomfort, as late as you were." She said, not exactly being offensive but not exactly grateful either, fisting one of her hands in her shirt in the spot where her stomach was located to try and resist the pain. "And, for your information," she continued, "I'm not exactly sick."

It took some moments for him to realize what she was talking about. And when he did, he studied her as if to see if she looked any different, and exhaled loudly, and just when Nabe expected him to understand, he says, "I'm glad I'm not a woman."

That's a dead man, a _fucking_ **dead** man right there.

The bubbling anger that rose up her throat was just one thing to distract her from the pain in her lower abdomen. Momon was an easy person to get angry at, she found.

To her genuine surprise, Momon then asked, "If it's so painful, why don't you just cast a Healing spell and be done with it? Or is it a normal thing that can't be helped?"

"...The later." Nabe replied, still shocked for him to ask such a personal question. "It's..." She was searching for the word, "I just know, okay?"  
"Oh," Any curiosity he possible had was out of the window, but he had a last question. "Since when?"

Why'd he ask that? Her personal life was no concern to him, but he had asked her...

She missed the way he frowned at her silence, and then turned around, with his back facing her and started to get his backpack off his waist (a very practical thing, she realized, to decrease discomfort while swinging those ridiculous swords) and then he said, "Just worried for any instance that this kind of... thing, may happen again."

Of course he would. But for some reason it made Nabe happy. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn't seem to take pity on her, or the fact that while he acknowledged she's a woman, he still looked at her as if she wasn't just a piece of meat and -

Who was she lying to? Momon was just some sort of an anomaly; no one would react to her predicament as he's doing right now. Maybe it's just all the time focusing on killing one woman, she thought, and... It made sense, if barely.

"So is that what all women go through?" And he surprised her again with his lack of tact in this matter, but Nabe's looking for anything to get her mind off this damn pain, and she replied as much as she's able.

"You'd be surprised, I've meet some that would even go in frenzy and try to kill anything to get their heads off it." And she's not wrong, the adventurers she traveled with had some very weird mechanisms to deal with it, and Nabe was still unaware of it at that time, why wouldn't she? Everybody was trying to survive, and certainly mister Nishikienrai wouldn't care -

She stopped right there, and gritted her teeth. Not the time.

"I never would've guessed." Momon said, truthful, and it made Nabe wonder how a forty-something year old man didn't know about that. And following that train of thought, how much time has Momon lived without someone at his side?

Before she could delve in such a matter, he proceeded to say, "Guess what they say about women's weaker constitution is truly a big load of -"

A wave of pain hit her before she knew it, causing Nabe to hold back a whimper, it was worse than the ones before. This was pathetic, she'd survived wounds more life-endangering than this, spells that made people rip their own eyes off, and poisons that would kill her in less than a minute, and they didn't make her want to cry as much this did.

That's why she wanted to hide; Nabe didn't want anyone to see her be so weak, so vulnerable.

But Momon was here, and he was concerned.

"Is that normal?" He asked, and she felt him moving closer to her, and when she stole a glance at him, he's now clad in a brown tunic that reached past his groin. It was so humiliating, to him to see her like this, but she couldn't do anything about it now, she had to adapt, to roll with the punches. Anything less would be unworthy of her.

"I - I think this is normal." She said finally, after a minute of breathing through the pain.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, and she looked at him quizzically, her eyebrows frowning in confusion.

"Didn't expect you to be so selfless."

"No, if it means you'll finally stop being so annoying I'll gladly do anything." He said with a cheeky half-smile, and the humor of it was lost on her.

She stared at him with the most deadpan glare she could muster.

What a damn fool.

"There are herbs, which are either too weak to make much of a difference, or very rare and expensive." Now that she thought about it, it was very stupid of her to not ask Nfirea for any of these herbs, and she knew he wouldn't ask her about it if he knew what was best for him. "There's one that can stop it and prevent pregnancies, but if taken often it becomes a poison." She exhaled, resigned, and turned her head sideways so that she's looking through the window; the sun had already set not too long ago, and if realizing the time, Momon got up and lighted the candles that were located in different points of the room.

After that, he sat down on his own bed, and thought for a moment. "I have some money; enough to last some days. You think there's any herb store here?"

Nabe was taken aback. He wasn't normally one to spend money in things that may not be directly profitable to him.

"What I -" He was looking at her, lips pressed tightly, unusually embarrassed. "If it means you're not going to go through that anymore it's best for us if you just... you know."

"...Yes." Nabe finally said. Why'd he go and say that, she'll never know, at least, not now. "There is one not too far from here, just ask for any potions that serve to mitigate the cramps."

"Alright then," Nodding, he got up and took some gold coins for his purse inside the backpack, and while on his way to the door, he turned his head back to her and said, "I'll be back soon." And then, as if he remembered just now, he asked, "And how I'll know what kind of potions are these?"

Oh for Gods' sake.

"Just-" She clenched her teeth and tried to get up, and struggling against the pain in her nether regions, she finally got on her feet, ignoring Momon's warnings. "I'll go with you, might be done with this endeavor sooner than later."

He didn't say anything, and just sighed and nodded. And Nabe ignored all the implications of him spending his money to just buy some potions to alleviate her pain. When had he gotten so soft on her? Did he saw her more than just a teammate?

After thinking for a moment, she wobbled on her feet as she clearly tried to maintain her balance, and if realizing she couldn't even take two steps, she clenched her hands into fists and asked with a low, strained voice, "Could you help me go there?"

"Sure." He said slowly. He walked to her side. He was sizing her up, she realized, that's why he hasn't made a move yet. Before she could say anything Momon lifted her bridal-style, his arms almost as strong as steel. "Figured it'd be awkward to carry you like a sack of potatoes," He grumbled, and Nabe could feel his voice vibrating through his chest.

"Just get on with it." She said, and both of them got out of the room and locked it before Momon darted out of the building with impressive agility, with almost no one but some lucky peasants looking at the strange pair, and despite the few numbers of on-lookers Nabe's face was burning with shame, and she thought Momon wasn't surely faring any better.

At the end of the day, both of them brought the herbs and Nabe downed the things like water despite the risk of doing so. The next day welcomed them with Momon tracing some small circles on her back and Nabe throwing up in some place in the middle of the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Empire.

But the good thing is that the cramps were gone, and she was back to normal.

After that, she made sure she would have Nfirea get some potions for her, and she would use that as an excuse to hang out with Nemu too.

A win-win situation, and for some reason, Nabe didn't feel so embarrassed for yesterday's conversation, despite having all the reasons to do so.

Behind Momon's back and atop the Wise King of the Forest, as they made their way back to E-Rantel, Nabe smiled slightly, remembering Momon's concealed gesture of kindness.

It would be the last genuine smile she would have for a long, long time.

And the chapter ends here!

Always, you can leave a review and suggest what you want to see here! (Anything that involves the two, NO LEMONS).

Thank you everybody for reading! See ya!

Next chapter: Jaldabaoth.


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